There are almost nine people per acre of land in Tameside. Consisting of 25,493 acres, the borough isn’t going to grow beyond its parameters anytime soon. The population however, and the number of households comprising of this quantity of Tamesiders, absolutely is.
Strategy and planning for the future is an element of success anywhere in life; be it a business or from a personal perspective. This can very much be said for Tameside council, who are in need to invest in infrastructure to ensure the future of our borough meets demand.
It can also be said for the government, who are in dire need of building more properties across the country and indeed within Tameside as the nation’s population continues to grow.
Housing was of course a key component in each of the political parties’ manifestos during the last election campaign. Whether the current Tory government deliver on their targets remain to be seen, but the projected numbers mean that further growth across the nation and within our borough is inevitable.
Research I carried out last year indicates that by 2036, the population of Tameside is set to grow by five per cent.When you consider there are already 225,197 residents living in Tameside, split between 98,000 households, it means there is an average of 2.2 residents per house in Tameside.
With the population in the borough set to increase, as will the number of households living in our local towns and as such, so will the demand for properties.
Over the next twenty years, the number of households in Tameside is set to increase by seven per cent.
This means that in 20 years time by 2040, there will be 106,000 households in Tameside.
Meeting the demand for the supply is critical; be that through new-build stock or ensuring sufficient rental properties across the borough to meet the growing needs of Tameside tenants.
The development of new homes is of course a priority that needs to be met, but so does affordability. The construction of purely three and four bedroom homes rocketing over the £200,000 bracket doesn’t meet the desired affordability bracket within Tameside.
The seemingly plausible solution of then turning to the development of one and two bedroom apartments isn’t the answer either. Whilst done in small numbers can offer effective alternatives to accommodation within the borough, over-saturating Tameside with these apartments will simply drive the number of individuals per residential space much higher than they already are.
There’s a fine balance that needs to be achieved in order to create a rigid plan for the housing of the future in our borough. As such, both the council as well as the government need to look at spending the funding wisely; increasing the infrastructure across Tameside whilst improving transport links and offering more employment opportunities.
In turn, this needs to be met with sufficient affordable housing for homeowners, as well as room to allow compliant landlords to breathe and continue offering a great service to tenants alike across the borough.
If you’d like to discuss in more detail my thoughts on what the Tameside property market has in store for us in the future, as well as how to get the best out of investing in the borough, please do give me a call on 07709 505 442.
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